Hurley eyes bright Central women’s basketball future

PELLA—A dramatic turnaround season for the Central College women’s basketball team was just the start, according to American Rivers all-conference freshman Kelsea Hurley (Scottsdale, Ariz., Desert Mountain HS).

Hurley visited with KRLS-FM radio sportscaster Nick Mohwinkle after receiving Freshman Female Athlete of the Year honors at the April 26 Dutchies program, staged by Central’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council.

Hurley, a 5-11 guard, was Central’s top scorer in her rookie year, averaging 13.8 points a game, which ranked seventh in the league. She was ninth in assists with 78 and fourth in 3-point goals with 58. Her 358 season points are the sixth-most by a freshman in school history.

She helped the Dutch post a 15-11 record, their most wins since 1997-98 and an eight-win improvement over the previous season. Central was 7-9 in league play, its best conference record since 2001-02 and the squad made its first conference tournament appearance since 2004-05. Coach Joe Steinkamp’s squad returns nine of its top 10 scorers for next season, joined by what’s shaping up to be a highly regarded recruiting class.

“These next three years could be pretty special,” Hurley said from her home in Arizona where she is completing spring semester classes remotely.

The turnaround was evidenced by a stunning 58-56 Feb. 12 victory over Luther College. Central was throttled by the Norse at Decorah, 79-41 Jan. 8.

“That Luther game was the best game I have ever played in in my whole life,” said Hurley, one of five Arizona players nominated for the 2019 McDonald’s All American Games while at Desert Mountain High School.

The Dutch followed that by nearly knocking off Luther in the first round of the league tourney at Decorah Feb. 25, getting edged 58-55.

“We thought, ‘We made it this far, why not keep going?’” Hurley said.

The Dutchies program can be viewed at https://youtu.be/sR37LKhJvVg.